


Inexorable Cynical

by orphan_account



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Kinda canon yet kinda not, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-06
Updated: 2017-06-22
Packaged: 2018-10-15 08:27:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10553224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: When Rhys got trapped with an AI of Handsome Jack, his hero, he expected more than, well, more than an asshole who seems very intent on leading Rhys somewhere. Where? Rhys had no idea.However, when he finally has enough of the agitating and aggressive AI, he goes where it asks him to go. Leaving in the cover of night, he never expected to find what he does.Handsome Jack himself, alive, yet oh so very close to death.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Like said, this work somewhat follows the canon of the game, but not at the same time. The timeline is the same, the plotline however? Yeah, not at all.

"Where do you think the others are right now?" Vaughn questions, his emerald eyes, covered by his somewhat cracked glasses, gazing over at Rhys. His counterpart shrugged. 

"If we're lucky, alive. But, this  _is_ Pandora; so luck will have nothing to do with it." Rhys mustered up, his sigh killing the last of his hope. His remaining arm had come up to shield the boiling sun from his face, as his robotic one was way too heated to touch to his flesh. They were both covered with dust and dirt, as one normally is after being launched from a moving vehicle via moonshot. To deal with the agonizing warmth, both had shed a few layers.

Rhys had rid of his Hyperion vest and tie, rolling up his sleeves, while Vaughn went as far as to reveal his entire upper half, tying his shirt against his forehead. He looked ridiculous, but Rhys hadn't mentioned it; opting however to spend most of his power in ignoring what Handsome Jack's AI was spouting.

" _Rhysie, come on! You know what you need to do, you need to go to Overlook!"_ Jack's aqua tinted AI called, irritated, waving a hand in front of Rhys's eyes. Ignoring the male, Rhys tore his eyes away from the AI, before resting them on the air in front of them. 

Vaughn was no idiot, he had noticed the change in behavior from his best friend. 

"Dude, do we need to stop? Like, you keep spacing out and starring into empty space. Are you hallucinating? Because if so, " He paused, crossing his arms, before grinning. "What are you seeing?"

Raising a brow Rhys gave a chuckle. 

"Yes, I'm hallucinating." His voice ripped through the tension with sarcasm. "And I think I see, " He made a mock gasp, "is that a vault? A key maybe laying right next to it!? Vaughn we finally made our big break, after the fan-fucking-tastic job we did last time."

Vaughn glowered at Rhys and his piss poor acting. But, understood the reason for it. He shook his head, looking back at the task at hand. With now, shoulder slumping, silence, they walked without saying anything.

The AI? Well, he spent his time teleporting around Rhys's view. And, when Rhys closed his eyes, it whispered, awkwardly for Rhys, into his ear.

_"Rhys, High-Lands, Overlook. Go there. Otherwise I'll torment you in your sleep for the next century! "_

It was growing increasingly difficult for Rhys to just forget about his, rather large and irritating, problem. He is glad however, when they both set down for the night, as the forge of a sun had set. 

They cave they found, which fortunately wasn't crawling with Skag, Rakk, or Bandits, was damp and cool; a much appreciated feat that both Rhys and Vaughn gladly accepted. Vaughn laid himself out on the floor of the rock, letting out a sigh of relief as it was cold against his skin.

Rhys watched his best friend from the far side of the cave mouth, where he sat, giving his legs a rest. The sky was painted with various shades of violet, red, and blues. It didn't take long for the sun to resign under the horizon, and for Vaughn to slip into much needed sleep. 

It was now that Rhys found it alright to respond to the AI.

Jack had settled himself next to Rhys, but instead of watching the sky, he was burning his gaze into the male next to him. 

"If I was to go to this Overlook, what would I even find?" His voice was low, in order to keep Vaughn from waking. Jack, however spoke loudly, and it was angry from being ignored all day.

 _"I don't know. I wasn't programmed to know what's there. But those were the coordinates that were left in my memory. I don't know what they mean, but if I left them there, they're important. "_  

Rhys scoffed. 

"These could just be a red haring, a trap, you could be trying to kill me. I don't freaking know!" He had to control his temper, there was no need to wake Vaughn up, and let him think either Rhys talks to himself, or he's crazy. Although, after the past few days, he wouldn't be surprised if the latter was true.

 _"Why the hell would I try and kill you! Fucking idiot! I'm not that fucking stupid."_ Jack attempted to slap Rhys on the back of the head, but the AI's hand swept through Rhys's head, which caused his robotic eye to glitch suddenly. 

Everything was black. And Rhys called out in surprise, falling backwards. Then it booted back up, and a message wrote itself in front of him.

 

 **'In a fail safe case, which both includes Death, MIA, and/or destruction of either Helios or project "Angel", go to the town of Overlook in the Highlands.'**  

 

The text flashed Hyperion's signature yellow, before fading. Regaining his composer, Rhys resat himself down, eyes wide. However the last request brought up more questions than answers.

"What was project Angel?" He inquired, after a moment, finding that Jack had been watching him from his front. The AI shook his head no, crossing his arms.

Well, he'd get no answers from that bastard. 

_"Rhys seriously, I know for a fact its not a death message. Honestly, if I had to guess I'd say its a set of instructions for who ever was dumb enough to find them. Although, It may be to get the last laugh on Pandora. But, that's unlikely, probably. "_

Jack's words did nothing to sooth Rhys's worries. But, he always knew that his curiosity would be the death of him one day, why shouldn't that day be today? He had nothing else to lose, well, other than his life.  

After a moment of contemplation, Rhys sighed. Pushing himself up to his feet, his pulled out a spare echo recorder he kept on him, from his pocket. Inspecting it, it wasn't badly damaged. The screen was cracked and dust covered every inch, nook, and cranny, but it was still workable. 

Turning it on, he cleared his throat, taking a guilt ridden glance at Vaughn, before pressing record.

"Vaughn, I'm sorry, but when you get this, you'll find me at the Highlands. Hopefully you'll figure out where that is, I'm not sure where exactly myself; but I know you will. So, uh, good luck? Ehh, yeah, sorry. I can't tell you why, but um, bye. I'll see you later, and remember you're my best friend. Kay, bye." Rhys's voice was awkward, and filled his regret, but he ended the message with a click of a button.

He placed the message on Vaughn's chest, careful not to wake his friend, before walking out into the cool night air. If he was right, he'd be a fair distance from Vaughn by morning. 

So, Rhys sighed, eyes setting on Jack's AI, whom was walking next to the male, and spoke.

"Lead the way."


	2. Chapter 2

Rhys was right about his theory. It did indeed take a few hours to travel the distance from the cave to the nearest fast travel station. Considering that, you know, they had been stranded in the middle of nowhere. And, it turns out that Nowhere was actually a somewhere. As Rhys learned from Jack's AI, they were actually in the Dust. And while it made Rhys feel contempt about knowing where he was, it didn't help in the fact that Rhys has never been on Pandora before; therefore the location made no sense to him at all. To bite the nail on its head, as the odd saying goes, the AI didn't help with his consistent chatter.

 _"You know, I have this weird feeling that you may truly, ignoring what I said before, be walking into a trap."_ The AI grinned while floating backward, off to the side of Rhys's line of sight. Rhys closed his eyes with a huff.

"I knew I shouldn't have trusted you." Jack chuckled, before vanishing from sight. After a moment, he reappeared on his feet on Rhys's another side, causing the male to reopen his eyes in order to glare.

 _"Hey now, you were right to trust me."_  He paused and gestured with his hands to the area in front of them. It wasn't a spectacle, surrounded by sand, covered in sand, rusted metal. The only thing that stood out was a small office looking building. _"Right,"_  Jack pointed at a small tower, which flickered yellow, then blue before scanning them. _"there's the fast travel station. As far as I know the waypoint for Overlook wasn't destroyed by bandits or the assholes in Sanctuary."_

"And what is Overlook like?" Rhys asked and he neared the terminal. Pressing a hand up to the console, the input board appeared in a blue hue. He scrolled through the locations until he found the one named **The Highlands- Overlook.** Selecting it, he watched as the world dissolved around him. The feeling was like he was back in space. No ground underneath him, the ephemeral feeling of floating, before being tossed back to Pandora. It took Rhys a moment to hold back the food, that his stomach was lacking, from coming back up. "God, never again."

As Rhys fell to the ground, holding his mouth with his hand, Jack rolled his eyes at the male.

 _"You get used to it. Now, Overlook used to be inhabited by a sad group of dying people; and their sickness may or may not have been my fault. But, since it's been a few freaking years, I doubt that they are still breathing."_  Rhys had ignored the part of Jack's doing, since he had indeed killed, maimed, and generally murdered quite a few people. He regained his health and rose to his feet. Glancing around, he responded.

"Wouldn't more people take over the place?"

_"_ _Not while the Stalkers still live so nearby."_

"I hate Pandora." Rhys shuddered at the thought of going toe to toe with a pack of Stalkers. They were fast, ravenous, and all around unpleasant; not to mention that they can become invisible. However, his entire body froze at the sight of the town. Standing at the center of the homes, Rhys couldn't help but gawk at the crimson blood that painted the ground. Bodies were piled up next to, a... grinder? What the hell happened here? "What the fuck?!"

 _"The hell?"_ Jack called, turning to look at the rest of the town.  _"Yo, Rhysie. I think I know who's behind this."_ He muttered with a chuckle. Rhys spun around, as Jack pointed to another body laying spread across an untouched by blood ground, in front of a rusty ammunition vending machine. The corpse seemed familiar...

Wait! That corpse was breathing!

Rhys ran over to the body, afraid that he'd find a dying bandit looking for revenge on anyone he could. But, Rhys wasn't just going to let someone die. Reaching out, he turned the person over, so he could assess the person's wounds. What Rhys saw, however, caught him off guard.   

Handsome Jack's face bore pain filled eyes into Rhys's. And it wasn't his mask, like his AI's, but his true, scared face. The iconic vault symbol stood out, miscolored blue against Jack's tanned skin.    

"Holy shit!" Rhys cried, he had no idea what to do. He had to do something!  

"You just gonna sit there and admire, or you gonna help me?" Jack hissed through gritted teeth. His hands were covering his abdomen, as blood was pouring out, at an alarming rate. Rhys's eyes widened and he gulped, crouching down so he was eye level with the man. 

"What do you need me to do?" Rhys asked, watching the male carefully, his hands were shaking and he held them out as an offering to Jack. 

 _"Kiddo, ain't it obvious, fucking help me up! Buy some fucking meds and help me!"_   The AI yelled, running his hand through Rhys's robotic one, taking control in order to shove the kid forward. 

"Okay!" Rhys halfway fell onto Jack, but he caught himself. Shaking control back into his arm, he leaned down and wrapped his arm around Jack's middle. Pulling him up, he noticed that there was a medical vending machine, that may or may not work; he hoped the former was the truth. Dragging him over, which was a challenge without any sleep for the past two, maybe three days; Rhys wasn't paying attention. "Okay, okay, common Rhys," He sat Jack down carefully as he accessed the terminal. Digging around through the various shields for sale, he found vials of health. Paying for them, by hacking the system and making Hyperion pay. "Here!"

Rhys grabbed the vial from the bottom of the machine and turned back to Jack. Dropping to his knees, he took a breath before shoving the needle into Jack's neck. He watched as his breathing steadied and the bleeding slowed, before stopping completely. He let go of his breath, which Rhys hadn't noticed he was holding.         

"Jack?" His voice was soft and worried, as he watched Jack with his multi-colored eyes.

"Little warning next time you shove something into me. Rhys, right?" Jack mumbled, rubbing his neck with his fingers, smearing blood but, Rhys didn't think he cared. After a moment, Rhys realized he was silent, and nodded, before responding.

"Yeah, it's Rhys, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. And, thanks, I guess."

Rhys smiled, as Jack rolled his eyes.      

       


	3. Chapter 3

Jack, the real Jack wasn’t the greatest company to have around. He was often silent, making Rhys think he offended the man in a way, but then he would get irritated and lash out at Rhys.

And the thing is, he’d only been around the male for about three minutes.

 

“How the hell did you know how to find me?” Jack demanded an answer after his wounds were healed. He had sat up against a nearby building, not yet to his feet as he had almost died. Blood still covered his clothing and his hair was strung against his face as crimson and sweat clung to his forehead.

If Rhys was being honest with himself, he had no desire to tell Jack about the AI, in fear that he was actually just crazy and hallucinating.

 _“Oy! Rhysie, stop sitting there looking like a lost puppy and tell hi-, me, about… me.”_ The AI waved a blue luminescent hand in front of Rhys’s eyes. He followed them, before shaking his head and the voice, and hand disappeared.

“I um...” His arm came instinctively up to run it through his hair. And he noted that his own locks were also covered in a layer of sweat and dust. After a moment, Rhys was hit with a thought. Holding out his robotic arm, Jack watched him silently, before realizing what was truly in front of him.

“That’s Hyperion tech.” Jack muttered, he reached out and tugged Rhys’s arm, causing the male to step closer. As Jack took his time to inspect the machinery, he made an irked remark about how Rhys had gotten pebbles in the interior. His fingers poked and prodded at the handiwork, before looking back up at Rhys. “Your arm and eye are both robotic with Hyperion tech.” Rhys raised a brow and nodded.

“Had them for years now.” Jack paused and looked around the area, which was, as Rhys had just now realized, enclosed by the smell of death. Although, the smell wasn’t too distinct from the rest of Pandora.

“The only way you’d know I was here,” He trailed off, before pushing Rhys away and rising to his feet. Now fully upright, Rhys felt small compared to him. He was a full two inches taller than himself, and his demeanor was a lot less pitiful when he wasn’t on the ground almost dead. “was if you had the AI.” Rhys breathed in sharply, before giving a weak nod of approval to the older male. His eyes darted to Jack's watching for a shift in emotion or general response. However, Jack smirked, looking almost impressed. 

"So, who exactly are you? You don't look like someone who can hold out in a fight, nor are you from Pandora, that's obvious." Rhy grimaced, even with the words being true, it stung to hear it coming from his idol. Crossing his arms, Rhys let out a huff.

"I used to work for you." He started, gaining a confused head tilt from Jack. The taller male sat in thought for a moment, before shaking his head.

"Nope, don't recognize you, but that does explain the Hyperion arm and eye." Jack took a step forward, but he faltered causing Rhys to hold out his arms to catch him.  

"Damn." Jack hissed, leaning on Rhys for support as he steadied himself. Rhys watched him carefully, keeping an arm out in case he stumbled again.  

"You need rest." Rhys stated, but it came out more like a proposition. Jack eyed him a deadpan look but let out a long breath.  

"You're probably right. Almost dying and then being dragged around takes a toll on the body." It was sarcastic but held no malice. Rhys rolled his eyes, wrapping an arm around Jack's waist helping him keep upright. Jack cooperated by letting his own arm drape around Rhy's shoulders, limping as they walked toward a nearby building.

 

Inside wasn't much better than what it was like outside. Dry blood seemed to paint the walls, and on the floor were some questionable looking stains. They were able to maneuver around littered furniture and a few corpses until they reached a relatively clean bedroom. Rhy's had to hold back a gag and was glad for the lack of death in the room. Jack let his body fall back onto the clean bed they came upon. It creaked under his weight, and Jack let out a groan.   

"Fuck me Rhyie, I feel like I was dragged around by the train in Tundra Express." Rhys watched him as he stretched, his limbs violently cracking with small 'pop's. The location in the comment made no sense to Rhys, but he got the general point.    

"What happened here? And why were you so hurt?" Jack sat up slightly, using his elbows as support as his green and blue eyes met yellow and brown.   

"I was upset. I had just been defeated by a bunch of skaglick douchebags, who also happened to murder my daughter in front of me. Oh, and the asshat who killed me also murdered my girlfriend too." Rhys furrowed his brows. He'd heard the tales of the Vaulthunter who ultimately defeated Jack, but the stories were so jumbled it was difficult to tell which one was true. Yet, Jack, the Handsome Jack, just summed it up. And added on how afterward he went on a homicidal rampage against a town of people who couldn't fight back. 

Maybe Rhys needed to rethink his morals if this is his hero.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The point of view shifts between Rhys and Jack during this chapter. The change is stubble, so if you get confused that may be why. Also somewhat shorter chapter.  
> Things will start building up from here, I promise.

"That still doesn't explain why you were almost dead when I got here." Rhys responded, sitting at the edge of the bed, his eyes keeping locked onto Jack's frame. However, it was the AI who responded first.

 _"Does it even matter at this point? I'm alive and still kicking it."_ The glowing AI appeared in front of Rhys, arms crossed and a somewhat irritated look. His eyes glanced at Jack, before returning to Rhys.

"Hush you. I don't need two of you." Rhys groaned out, running his hands across his face. The AI was already hard to deal with, and now he had the real thing. Jack raised a brow before realization hit him.

"I can get rid of him. Although, you'd have to persuade me. I don't do shit for free." His voice hinted at many things that equally horrified and peaked Rhys's curiosity. Shaking his head free of the thoughts, he gave a sigh of relief.

"What would you want in exchange?" Jack gave a sly smirk in response, insinuating multiple things, which Rhys was afraid to ask. The AI had been silent as they spoke, but a look of pure offense covered his face.

 _"Hey! I'm still here, I can understand what you're talking about. How dare you, I'm a doll, my presence isn't awful, dick."_  Rhys closed his eyes and wished, hoped, prayed, that the AI would just disappear when he reopened his eyes. And when he did, the AI was out of sight. He grinned brightly, maybe whatever Gods were above took pity on him?

Rhys was wrong. There were no Gods looking out for him.

His moment of total bliss lasted about three seconds.

_"You're a complete and utter asshole."_

Rhys screamed as the voice bounced around in his head. It was irritated before amused at the reaction AI Jack was able to get. The real Jack watched in silence, but the smirk he had turned to an amused grin.

"There are no Gods." Rhys whined as he regained his breath.

Jack chuckled, inspecting the male carefully. He had noted that whenever the AI made a connection with Rhys his yellow eye would glow blue. It was interesting and would make it easier to tell who Rhys was talking to. Sitting up slowly, Jack leaned back, resting his hands behind his head.

Rhys was an odd character. He didn't live on Pandora, but he seemed to fit with the landscape, aside from his reactions to dead bodies. Jack wondered if the male was born Pandoraian. If so, then that made more sense. However, he was a Hyperion worker, which meant he'd at least caught the eye of either Jack himself, or his previous boss; meaning he had something worth noting. The male was probably a terrible shot, and maybe even worse with physical combat. He seemed more the type to work with electronics, considering he was part tech himself. The idea brought back memories of Gage, the mechromancer, Jack shuddered at the thought. No Rhys was more composed and sane than she was.

"Rhysie, I can't have you screaming while I'm trying to sleep." Jack paused, his voice was playful. However, he had noticed the bruises that littered Rhys's arms, along with the dark circles around his eyes. It was clear the male hadn't slept in a while. "You should get some sleep too, you look like hell."  

Rhys glared, before sighing. He glanced around searching for an adequate place to lay down. The floor looked inviting enough, although he did hope for something other than a ground covered in more than questionable fluids.  

As Rhys was looking around, Jack tore off his shoes, before tossing them aside. This action made Rhys realize he was actually missing a shoe. His brightly colored sock was out in the open. He must have lost it in the crash and hadn't even thought about it until now. Rhys used his foot to pull off his remaining dress shoe, which in hindsight wasn't the greatest thing to be walking far distances in. Once the object was discarded, he stood from his place on the bed.     

Jack tisked. "Rhys, honey, I doubt you're gonna find another somewhat clean room, even less so a bed that's not covered in blood, or other things." He patted the bed alongside him, inviting Rhys to join. Rhys swallowed, his eyes darting between the spot and Jack's eyes. 

And the next unexpected action made Rhys want to rid himself of the AI as quickly as possible. 

 _"You're such a wimp."_ The AI once more rushed his arm through Rhys, taking control of Rhys's robotic one. He shoved the male forward, forcing him to stumble onto the bed. And stumble straight into Jack's arms. 

"Oh, Rhys. If you wanted me that bad you could have just asked." Jack smirked, after he caught Rhys, making sure the male didn't hurt himself. He noticed that Rhys's eye changed, which could only mean his AI forced this. 

Maybe Jack would keep the AI around just a bit longer if it meant he could mess with this adorable kid a little bit longer too.

   


End file.
